The reason, in part, is that CBS has licensed the show for just one additional year. However, sources close to the situation reportedly claim that CBS and the show's production company, Warner Bros., are both looking to get two or three more years out of the sitcom. Whether Kutcher, 33, will be along for the rest of the ride remains to be seen.

The Journal also reports that Kutcher's salary for the season should hit somewhere in the vicinity of $20 million, or close to $750,000 per episode. In contrast, Charlie Sheen, whose void Kutcher is filling, was paid roughly $1.8 million per show before his much publicized departure from the series.